The White House Is Furious About Samsung’s Obama-Selfie Stunt

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney lashed out at Samsung on Thursday, after the technology company retweeted a photo of Red Sox star David Ortiz and President Barack Obama taking a selfie with a Samsung phone.

“I can say that as a rule, the White House objects to attempts to use the president's likeness for commercial purposes,” Jay Carney said. “And we certainly object in this case.”

“We didn’t know if or what he would be able to capture using his Note 3 device,” Samsung said. Asked directly if Samsung paid him for taking the photo, Ortiz denied the existence of any deal. “No way, man,” he said. “I don’t understand where that stuff is coming from.”

It’s probably time to stop holding up selfies as an antidote to heavily orchestrated and edited press photos. Now that we know they’re being Photoshopped, paid for, and otherwise stage-managed from beginning to end, let’s see celebrity selfies for what they are: yet another tactic for building brand equity.